Senators and state attorneys general are clamoring for the Food and Drug Administration to quickly restrict the sale of electronic cigarettes, but the past president of the American Lung Association, Charles Connor, says e-cigarettes may be “the breakthrough product” that stomps out carcinogen-packed conventional cigarettes.

Connor, president and CEO of the lung association from 2008 to 2012, joined the Electronic Cigarette Industry Group (ECIG) on Thursday as a paid consultant. He will serve as a conduit between public health experts, regulators and the booming industry, which will have an estimated $1.7 billion in U.S. sales this year.